Happy Dog

Mojo is happy after his walk. And Ozzy wants to photobomb Mojo/rub against the piano.

Friends again

I didn't realize it until I saw this the other day, but Mojo and Gunnar hadn't been cuddling. Maybe for a month or two? I saw this and thought it was so cute and realized I hadn't seen it in a while. They've always been best buds. But a while back, they were playing and Gunnar clawed Mojo on the snout and really hurt Mojo. And Mojo remembered. Gunnar would try to nuzzle Mojo—who carried a grudge. They finally made up this week and are bros again. It warms my heart.

Dainty dog

Mojo likes to cross his paws. He's done this since he was a puppy. I don't know if he picked this up from the cat, but he's always done it. He looks pretty dainty.

Lazy Day

I was home sick yesterday. The kids thoroughly enjoyed having me home. Here's Mojo being lazy, sleeping in the bed. They congregated around me all day and were pretty cute (if lazy.) 

Impromptu Early Morning Playdate

Ted

It was 6:40 a.m. and dark out when I went to take Mojo outside. He immediately barked at the guy across the street standing on his porch. I walked Mojo in the other direction, when under a street light I saw a very fluffy dog.

"Is that Ted?" I called out.

Ted, the golden doodle, lives in our neighborhood and his mom and I have decided they need to be besties.

The guy with the fluffy dog did a double take our way, and either waved or said "Oh hi, Mojo." It's early. I'm not sure.

When I take Mojo out in the morning, I don't like to talk to other people. I'm sleepy, usually in my pajamas and am so not a morning person. I will make an except for Ted. He's just so darned cute.

Mojo hauls me across the street to Ted and Andy. Had I known I'd be sprinting, I would have put on tennis shoes instead of flimsy flip-flops. I'm sure I look crazy. The dogs circle each other and we try not to be whipped by the tangling leashes. And I try and walk Mojo in the direction of Ted's house so Andy can get to work.

The dogs are going nuts. Ted's trying to jump on Mojo, who's running around like a crazy dog. I let them play/walk for about two minutes and then we head back. Mojo was very happy.

So thanks Ted and Andy! I hope this was a fun way to start the dog's day.

Dog party

We had an impromptu dog party today. Mojo and Ted wanted to play and I asked our neighbor (who has a fenced in backyard) if we could just make it a dog party.

This is how it went down.

Teddy, Tonka and Mojo sniff each other.

Tonka (white) and Mojo play with a frisbee. 

The dogs were a little slow to warm up. They were sniffing each other but not playing like the crazy dogs we know they are. We tried throwing balls and frisbees and eventually they were crazy dogs.

Ted fearlessly defended his mountain (i.e. chaise)

Tonka showed off his fierce water-catching skills.

We tried to show Mojo how to use a doggie door. Maybe next time?

And then it was time to go. Mojo was a very happy dog.

Mojo modeling my headband

Mojo was a sport and let me put one of my headbands on him like a scarf. Isn't he handsome?

Holding hands…

The pets like to cuddle and nap together. Gunnar and Mojo were napping on the bed and I saw this and it looked like they were trying to hold hands in their sleep. I thought it looked awfully sweet.

Date Night

Today, Mojo had a playdate with Teddy, a golden doodle from down the street.

Mojo showed off his impressive love of tennis balls.

They lounged in the grass.

Teddy

Teddy with his mom. He kept wiggling and this was the least blurry of the photos.

ZOOM!

Spotted tongue

Ready for a dental exam

Hanging with the dogs

My new friend. So cute!

Sunday mornings

This is what Sunday mornings look like at our house. Sleeping in and cuddles.

This pairing caught me by surprise. Katie has warmed up to Mojo over the years, but it's still a relative novelty to see them cuddling/sharing the same space.

Katie's balled up and covering her face (no pictures please!) and Mojo's got his belly up and tail draped over him. He's just positioned himself in a silly way. Matt's sleeping in (because Ozzy wakes me up at 7 a.m. for food.)

And possibly you can see all the pets in the photo. See if you can find a bit of Ozzy in the edge of the photo or a cat reflected in the mirror.

Mojo's arthritis treatment

Mojo has been diagnosed with arthritis for about two years now. The vet called us the other day and said that he's trying out laser therapy for dog arthritis. Did we want to try a session? For free?

For free! Why yes, we did. 

So Matt took Mojo to the vet for the training day on the laser machine. And this is what Mojo looked like in the car on the way to to vet. He loves the vet!

Happy, happy, happy. I love going to the vet.

The laser therapy involves putting a red laser the size of a fat highlighter on Mojo's joints and leaving it there for a few minutes. His blood cells are supposed to absorb the red light and it's supposed to help with circulation.

The vet tech showed me, and it just feels slightly warm.

That's Mojo getting the treatment. We had to wear glasses when we were in the room. I tried to give Mojo a pair, but he said he was fully accessorized. 

Mojo liked the treatment. 

This is what the laser looks like. Just a red light.

And after that first free visit, the therapy isn't as expensive as I feared. So we're going to try a few sessions and see if it helps with Mojo's pain. He still holds his paws gingerly, like he's afraid of getting hurt. Let's hope it helps.

Mojo's eating his fiber

For size comparison, that's my kindle. 

Either we have giant moths or Mojo is going to have a massive stomach ache.

Seriously, the hole in this blanket is bigger than my head. I'm worried what this is going to do to his stomach. He already has a vet appointment Monday (for his arthritis), so we could get medical intervention as needed.

UPDATE: Mojo is just fine. The blanket did come out the other end. Maybe Mojo is part goat?

2013: Year in Review

2013 apparently was a year I didn't blog very much.

The biggest thing that happened in pet news was that now we have four pets. We added a cat, Ozzy.

Ozzy adopted us. He decided he was going to live on our front porch. He camped out. I was sure we couldn't have another cat. He gave Mojo kisses when we would take him out. He was always around, meowing, rubbing against our legs. Rain or shine. Even in the middle of the night. After a month of cuteness and kisses, he wore us down. Mojo asked why the kitty couldn't come inside when it was so hot out. We gave in. Took the cat to the vet. He got a clean bill of health and the rest is history.

I was very skeptical that this would work out. Another cat! Another boy cat!?!

I shouldn't have worried. Ozzy is a joy and it was the easiest transition ever. Going from 1-2 cats was DIFFICULT. Katie pouted for a year. A year. Going from 2-3 cats—ridiculously easy. Ozzy and Gunnar became fast friends. They nap together. They bathe each other. They play. They are besties and bros and love each other so much. Seriously, I didn't know Gunnar wanted a brother so badly. And because Gunnar now has Ozzy, Gunnar really doesn't bully Katie anymore. Everyone is happier.

I should say that three is a lot of cats. There are cats everywhere at my house. They swarm when it's meal time. Cats are constantly under foot. Any more cats and it's probably crazy cat lady status for me.

And Ozzy. He went from a 9 pound kitten to a GIANT cat. He's easily 15 pounds. The vet warned us he would be big. We thought he had medium length fur when we adopted him, but not only has he filled out, so has his fur. And he's an extremely long haired cat. I've never had a cat with fur this long and luxurious before. And he gets static really badly. We get shocked when we pet the baby. Ozzy's also....obese. When we took him in, he ate like he'd never see another meal. And after 4+ months, he hasn't slowed down. He gets fed the same time every day and overeating is a problem. He eats fast, like he's in one of those televised hot dog eating contests. He eats Katie's food. He eats and eats. Now he waddles around the house and can barely fit through the baby gates. He needs desperately to diet in the New Year.

As for the other kids:

Mojo is still fabulous. He's a happy dog with a contagious smile. He likes walks and other dogs and all of his siblings. He's also very sensitive and doesn't like it when dad yells at the football games on TV. His arthritis is still not great. When he goes over to his grandparents, he tends to overdo it, running up and down their stairs and going crazy in their backyard. He needs pain pills then. He has slimmed down some. He's looking super athletic. He's gone from 73 pounds to a sporty 68.

Katie could stand to eat a little more. (Ozzy!) She's a sweet cat, who at times will demand cuddles. She often can be found sitting in her dad's lap. She's a daddy's girl. She still likes ham, so when she's looking too thin, that's what we give her. She still likes to jump on my chest 20 minutes after lights out and then demand under the blanket a few times, and then she would really like to sleep in the spot between our heads. Seriously.

Gunnar is still our evil emperor. He likes to follow me around, sleep in the bed, oversee any exercising I do. But now he has a partner in crime. Gunnar and Ozzy like to chase each other around the house. They like to play king of the mountain and wrestle at the foot of the bed, until one or both of them fall off of the bed. The wrestle often starts with licks and is the weird combination of sweet grooming and bopping each other in the face. I guess that's what brothers do.

So, we live in a house full of pet fur. And with all of the pets trying to sneak in the bed during the night, I'm not sure our bed is really big enough for two people, a large dog and three cats. My allergist isn't too happy with that....but you can't tell cats what to do.

Brotherly Love

Apparently this is the kind of stuff I miss when I go to work. I stayed home from work today (sick) and Mojo and Gunnar came and got in the bed and then took turns grooming each other :)

These guys are the best.

Mojo and his cousin

This is Mojo's human cousin. She sure loves him. Also, Mojo sure is a big ol' dog.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day from Mojo. He says not to work too hard and that you should just sit back and relax.

Maybe you should relax on the porch. He certainly likes chillaxing on the porch. Every time I let him upstairs during the day, he runs straight to the porch door and asks if he can sit outside on the porch. Then he people watches and barks at the people and cars going past our porch. He's a happy dog.

Mojo and Ozzy

 Mojo and Ozzy seem to be getting along. I snapped this picture. Ozzy was curled up on his usual spot on the couch and Mojo came over to keep him company.

Okay, Mojo was really keeping dad company, but still cute. Here's Mojo comforting his dad and Ozzy napping.

Mojo's request

Matt came home from work yesterday and Mojo had something to say.

Matt saw that Mojo was wearing a dog-shaming sign and his first thought was "Oh no." Matt's not a fan of dog shaming. And then he read the sign and gave me a sad puppy dog face.

Mojo LOVES the neighborhood kitty. He watches it out the window. HE wanted to ask his dad if he could have a kitty, so a made a sign.

This morning I got a text asking how much would it cost a year for an additional cat. Mojo just might get his way.

Neighborhood cat

I've seen this cute little grey cat around my neighborhood for months. She likes to sit on our front window in the morning. This makes Gunnar fight with the blinds.

At first I thought she was a neighbor's cat. But I've seen so much more of her in recent weeks—at all hours. She's clearly a pet, but it seems that her owners have abandoned her, which breaks my heart.

I asked almost all the neighbor's about this cat and no one knows anything about her. The grad students two doors down did suspiciously offer her to me, but I didn't get the sense that she was their cat. But they did offer?

So this is grey kitty. She sits on my porch waiting for me to open the door. She always wants cuddles and is a very vocal girl, who just wants to come inside. 

I can come in?

Mojo doesn't know why she can't come inside. He adores this cat. Possibly because when I take him out, the cat walks right up to him and kisses him. Every single time. He watches her sadly when he's inside.

Mom, why you know let her in?

She's made a little spot in the bush next to our front door. I think the cat has adopted us, and it breaks my heart not to be able to let her in. But I can't. I don't know if she's someone's. (Looking like she's not). I don't know if she has any diseases or fleas. It would be several hundred dollars to get her vaccinated, fixed, checked out, etc.  She's getting more bold about trying to come in our house (with food and air conditioning and soft things to lay on.) 

This poor girl needs a home. And we just can't afford another cat—another set of vaccinations and revolutions, another litter box. And it wouldn't be fair to Katie (who did not approve of Gunnar and took a year to get adjusted) though she does look slightly interested when grey kitty is staring in our windows. And Gunnar just wants to beat up this little orphan. Seriously, he fights with her through the windows now. I couldn't subject her to  his brutality. 

Anyone want a sweet grey cat who likes big dogs?